


Never Deceive the Gods

by Chicory



Series: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [8]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Chapter Coda, Gen, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:06:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25963327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chicory/pseuds/Chicory
Summary: A coda to chapter seventeen: The Man with Two Faces.
Series: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1754545
Comments: 5
Kudos: 3





	Never Deceive the Gods

**Author's Note:**

> This didn't turn out quite how I wanted it, but I think it's good enough to post? Okay, so Rowling probably didn't intend for this reading of Dumbledore's character but that's pretty much what I got out of it. This is also practice for my villain Dumbledore.

Albus hummed under his breath as he left the hospital wing.

Things couldn't have turned out better even if he'd controlled every contingency himself. It was amazing, the things one achieved by giving people enough liberty to act on their own and nudging them in the right direction when needed.

The Dursleys had been most helpful in his plans. Their natural aversion to magic and the things Albus had insinuated in his letter had made them break Harry in quite nicely. Why, when he'd first arrived at Hogwarts the boy had been simply starved for affection and recognition.

The students turning their backs on Harry had been an unexpected bonus, and Albus was thankful to his predecessors for conceiving the points system and for Minerva being so strict even with her own House. The students had considerately turned around after Harry had defeated Tom and Quirrell, and hopefully the experience and the need for the capricious good opinion of his peers would reinforce the boy's drive for self-sacrificial heroics.

All in all, the students, Minerva and Hagrid had fulfilled their roles exemplary.

Albus was also glad he'd talked young James into giving the Invisibility Cloak to him so many years ago. Yes, it might've helped the Potters on the night they'd been killed but sadly such sacrifices were necessary for the greater good. The Cloak had been useful in getting Harry to wander out of bed, and from there it'd been easy to nudge him in the direction of the Mirror of Erised.

The boy's natural susceptibility and the Mirror's inherent compulsion had addicted him swiftly, but Albus had intervened soon enough before the situation had got out of hand and Harry lost his purpose.

The Mirror had also concretised the boy's family to him, giving him the personal motivation he might've otherwise lacked against Tom.

There had been a moment, however, back in that dungeon, when Albus had thought he'd miscalculated. As he'd pulled Harry away from Quirrell's boiling, screaming, dying body, he'd thought he'd arrived too late to save the boy and all of his work would've been for nought. But that worry had fortunately been unfounded.

Albus had always thought he could deal with Tom easily if the need ever arose, but he'd given him quite a bit of trouble when he'd splintered his soul. But Tom had always been his own downfall, too eager and too impatient and too paranoid to let things happen as they would.

Even as he'd tried to secure his own triumph, he'd given Albus the perfect weapon to defeat him. With proper care and guidance, he'd steer Harry to fulfil his destiny.

The boy would undoubtedly suffer and die in the end, but sacrifices had to be made.

It was a shame, Albus thought ruefully, as he sat down in his office and smoothed his hand down Fawkes' feathers.

He quite liked the boy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, if anyone did :)


End file.
